diff --git a/plugins/properties/properties-psi-api/src/com/intellij/lang/properties/psi/PropertiesElementFactory.java b/plugins/properties/properties-psi-api/src/com/intellij/lang/properties/psi/PropertiesElementFactory.java
index ebafb102010d..a3959081a7a7 100644
--- a/plugins/properties/properties-psi-api/src/com/intellij/lang/properties/psi/PropertiesElementFactory.java
+++ b/plugins/properties/properties-psi-api/src/com/intellij/lang/properties/psi/PropertiesElementFactory.java
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ public class PropertiesElementFactory {
 
   @NotNull
   public static IProperty createProperty(@NotNull Project project, @NonNls @NotNull String name, @NonNls @NotNull String value) {
-    String text = getPropertyText(name, value, null, project);
+    String text = getPropertyText(name, value, null, project, true);
     final PropertiesFile dummyFile = createPropertiesFile(project, text);
     return dummyFile.getProperties().get(0);
   }
@@ -53,11 +53,12 @@ public class PropertiesElementFactory {
   public static String getPropertyText(@NonNls @NotNull String name,
                                        @NonNls @NotNull String value,
                                        @NonNls @Nullable Character delimiter,
-                                       @Nullable Project project) {
+                                       @Nullable Project project,
+                                       boolean escape) {
     if (delimiter == null) {
       delimiter = project == null ? PropertiesCodeStyleSettings.DEFAULT_KEY_VALUE_DELIMITER : PropertiesCodeStyleSettings.getInstance(project).KEY_VALUE_DELIMITER;
     }
-    return escape(name) + String.valueOf(delimiter) + escapeValue(value);
+    return (escape ? escape(name) : name) + String.valueOf(delimiter) + (escape ? escapeValue(value) : value);
   }
 
   @NotNull
@@ -88,34 +89,13 @@ public class PropertiesElementFactory {
 
   @NotNull
   private static String escape(@NotNull String name) {
-    if (StringUtil.startsWithChar(name, '#')) {
-      name = escapeChar(name, '#');
-    }
-    if (StringUtil.startsWithChar(name, '!')) {
-      name = escapeChar(name, '!');
-    }
-    name = escapeChar(name, '=');
-    name = escapeChar(name, ':');
-    name = escapeChar(name, ' ');
-    name = escapeChar(name, '\t');
-    return name;
-  }
-
-  @NotNull
-  private static String escapeChar(@NotNull String name, char c) {
-    int offset = 0;
-    while (true) {
-      int i = name.indexOf(c, offset);
-      if (i == -1) return name;
-      if (i == 0 || name.charAt(i - 1) != '\\') {
-        name = name.substring(0, i) + '\\' + name.substring(i);
-      }
-      offset = i + 2;
+    if (StringUtil.startsWithChar(name, '#') || StringUtil.startsWithChar(name, '!')) {
+      name = "\\" + name;
     }
+    return StringUtil.escapeChars(name, '=', ':', ' ', '\t');
   }
 
   public static String escapeValue(String value) {
     return PropertiesResourceBundleUtil.fromValueEditorToPropertyValue(value);
   }
-
 }
diff --git a/plugins/properties/properties-psi-impl/src/com/intellij/codeInspection/unsorted/AlphaUnsortedPropertiesFileInspection.java b/plugins/properties/properties-psi-impl/src/com/intellij/codeInspection/unsorted/AlphaUnsortedPropertiesFileInspection.java
index d115c9cc88a0..d8a2898c876a 100644
--- a/plugins/properties/properties-psi-impl/src/com/intellij/codeInspection/unsorted/AlphaUnsortedPropertiesFileInspection.java
+++ b/plugins/properties/properties-psi-impl/src/com/intellij/codeInspection/unsorted/AlphaUnsortedPropertiesFileInspection.java
@@ -132,8 +132,10 @@ public class AlphaUnsortedPropertiesFileInspection extends LocalInspectionTool {
     final StringBuilder rawText = new StringBuilder();
     for (int i = 0; i < properties.size(); i++) {
       IProperty property = properties.get(i);
-      final String value = property.getUnescapedValue();
-      rawText.append(PropertiesElementFactory.getPropertyText(property.getKey(), value != null ? value : "", delimiter, null));
+      final String value = property.getValue();
+      final String propertyText =
+        PropertiesElementFactory.getPropertyText(property.getKey(), value != null ? value : "", delimiter, null, false);
+      rawText.append(propertyText);
       if (i != properties.size() - 1) {
         rawText.append("\n");
       }